The Thin Gray Line Amy Wilentz, Amy Wilentz is the author, most recently, of "Martyrs' Crossing: A Novel."

Uneasy Alliances Charles A. Kupchan, Charles A. Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, is the author of "The End of the American Era."

A difficult decade to read Stew Albert, Stew Albert, a co-founder of the Yippies, is a longtime activist and coauthor of "The Sixties Papers" and the forthcoming "Who the Hell Is Stew Albert?"

Shaking us out of complacency Jonathan Kirsch, Jonathan Kirsch, a contributing writer to the Book Review, is the author of "The Woman Who Laughed at God: The Untold History of the Jewish People."

When Britain's subjects were subjected Paul Kennedy, Paul Kennedy is the Dilworth professor of history at Yale University and the author or editor of 15 books, including "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers."